A wave of “Bible literacy” bills emerging in state legislatures would allow more students in public high schools to study the Old and New Testaments.

Proposals from lawmakers in at least six states would require or encourage public schools to offer elective classes on the Bible’s literary and historical significance. That’s a more narrow focus than what’s typically covered in courses on world religions.

Some of the lawmakers – and leaders of Christian groups supporting the bills – say they want to restore traditional values in schools and provide students with an opportunity to study the religious text deeply.

"The Bible is an integral part of our society and deserves a place in the classroom,” said Republican state Rep. Aaron McWilliams of North Dakota, a co-sponsor of a bill that would require the state's public high schools to offer an elective on Bible studies.

But critics say the measures come perilously close to violating the constitutional line between church and state – and in practice, might overstep it. They say the proposals are part of a coordinated effort by evangelical political groups pushing model legislation in several states to root Christian beliefs in public schools.

The "In God We Trust" phrase can be seen in the windows of the front doors at Milan High School in Milan, Tenn., on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018.(Photo11: HENRY TAYLOR/The Jackson Sun)

“State legislators should not be fooled that these bills are anything more than part of a scheme to impose Christian beliefs on public schoolchildren,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Done right, the bills are legal

So far this year, seven Bible literacy bills have been introduced in Florida, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia, according to the ACLU.

At least three Bible literacy bills were considered in 2018 – in Alabama, Iowa and West Virginia – but none passed, according to the ACLU. Tennessee passed a related but slightly different bill.

The year before, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin signed into law a Bible studies bill. It created guidelines for public high schools to offer electives on the literature of the Bible and Hebrew Scriptures.

Laser said the Bible studies classes are likely to convey a religious message and preference. That would violate the First Amendment, which guarantees that the government won’t act in a way that prefers one religion over another, and that people can practice whatever religion they wish.

In short, there's a line in public schools between teaching about a religion and proselytizing. Lawmakers bringing the proposals say the classes can be taught in a way that doesn't overstep that line.

Conservative Christian groups involved

The proposals are getting more attention because recent reports have linked them to a common source: an initiative called Project Blitz coordinated by conservative Christian political groups.

Those groups include the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation, which aims to protect religious liberties; the National Legal Foundation, a Christian public-interest law firm; and WallBuilders, a nonprofit that emphasizes the "moral, religious and constitutional foundation upon which America was built," according to its website. WallBuilders' name is a biblical reference to grassroots work and does not refer to the debate over the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Critics say the groups are trying to reshape America by cementing pro-Christian messages in public schools.

“They have put out a more than 100-page playbook that lays out very plainly their strategy into tiers of bills that they want to pass, and the last tier is promoting a particular religious point of view for legislation," said Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, which advocates for keeping government out of matters pertaining to faith.

The ACLU provided a copy of the 2018 version of the playbook, called the "Report and Analysis on Religious Freedom Measures Affecting Prayer and Faith in America." Model legislation and talking points within it advocate for preserving the country's Judeo-Christian heritage and enshrining conservative values in public policy. For instance, the groups believe marriage and child adoption should only be practiced by heterosexual, married couples.

As for the Bible literacy proposals, Tyler of the Baptist Joint Committee said that with busy legislative calendars, lawmakers may sign onto bills that look innocuous but that may further a troubling agenda.

"Anything that might send a message to our children that you have to be a Christian to be a full American is extremely problematic," she said.

David Barton, a Christian political activist and the founder of WallBuilders, said that's a mischaracterization of the bills.

"Bible literacy is a good thing to have," he said. "For me, the issue is that many schools don't (offer Bible studies courses) because they think they can't legally. We are saying, 'Well, yes, you can.' "

Requests for comment to the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation were not returned.

'In God We Trust' legislation

The same coordinated initiative helped push bills in 12 states last year that called for public schools to post the national motto, “In God We Trust," ACLU leaders said.

Six states passed those bills into law. This year, similar bills have been introduced in Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York and South Carolina, according to the ACLU.

The Indiana bill from Sen. Dennis Kruse, a Republican from Auburn, calls for both the national motto to be posted in public schools and for high schools to add a biblical studies component to world religion classes.

Kruse said he was not aware of Project Blitz and didn’t talk to lawmakers in other states before introducing his proposal.

"I think it’s good to remind people of our national motto and that God is who we really place our trust in," Kruse said. "This is how we came about as a country."